Category Archives: On the Island

Post navigation

Some of you have asked on my Facebook page about what languages/countries On the Island will be available in. Lauren Abramo, my awesome foreign rights agent, put together this wonderful list so I thought I’d pass it on. I don’t know all the publication dates, but foreign covers are starting to show up on my Facebook wall thanks to awesome readers all over the world. I sure do appreciate when they do that.

Here’s the Russian cover. I love the starfish and the heart. Look how funky my name is in Russian.

Here’s the Italian cover. I think it’s gorgeous!﻿

*And check out this trailer that popped up in yesterday’s Google alerts. It’s absolutely breathtaking. I probably only watched it a normal number of times. Like 2 or 3. Probably.

When foreign rights to On the Island first started selling, one of the things I got really excited about was the fact that the publishers would be sending me 2-4 copies of each book. I can’t wait to put a copy of each edition on the bookshelves in my office.

Here’s the roundup of all the publishers who have bought the foreign rights to On the Island:﻿

Good morning everyone!I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Kindle DX is entry #137, Bobbie Desmond! Bobbie, please make sure to send me your shipping address at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com. I’ll order your Kindle right away 🙂

*There will be two winners for the $50 Amazon gift cards because there were so many great comments and I couldn’t make up my mind.

The first winner is Kar, who wrote “A fully stocked wine cellar. I could sleep in it, Sip some good wine while watching sunset, after sunset, after sunset, after sunset. And if anyone came to rescue me I would already have a thank you gift. (I am hospitable like that).”

Wine makes everything better, am I right? I could probably handle everything else if I knew I could have a glass of wine every night while I’m sitting on the white-sand beach, staring at the water. I love the dual purpose of the wine cellar (shelter and a place to store those bottles), plus Kar is very thoughtful and I’m impressed with her hospitality.

The second winner is Sara Queen! I’m in total agreement with her suggestion because I might have a teeny-tiny crush on this man:

Oh, Bear Grylls. I’d take you and your mad survival skills to an island with me in a heartbeat. Don’t wash your face. No really, don’t.

Seeing things like this make me not want to kiss you, Bear.

Okay, I’ll totally still kiss you but wipe your mouth off first, okay? Then maybe swish some water around in it because I’m pretty sure that’s a snake and OMG, gross.

But Bear + wine = I.AM.STAYING.FOR.A.WHILE.

So there you have it! Thank you for a wonderful 4 days of comments and good wishes. If you’re a winner don’t forget to send me an e-mail.

***Update: Winners of the day 2 giveaway are now displayed. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and see if the rafflecopter picked you 🙂 If you’re a winner, please e-mail me at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com. I’ll need your full name and mailing address.

Each night, when I’m setting up the rafflecopter for the new giveaway, I read through all the comments one more time. You outdid yourselves with yesterday’s comments about your favorite scene from On the Island.

They made me cry.

Not giant ugly tears like I cried when I wrote some of those scenes. But grateful oh my God, how did this even happen? kind of tears. Once again, words cannot express how much your comments mean to me. Thank you so much.

It’s been over two years since I started writing On the Island, and over a year since I finished it. In some ways I’ve moved on. I’m almost done with my second book and I’m immersed in a new story, with new characters. But reading all of your comments has brought back wonderful memories of those scenes. I remember how I struggled to write some of your favorites. How I re-wrote some of them three different ways before finally deciding which version I liked best. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with me.

Now for day 3 of the giveaway! Two wonderful readers will win a Nook Color. As long as I can ship it to you (via the Barnes & Noble website), you are eligible.

In the comment section, tell me who your favorite secondary character is. I’d love to know if there were other characters you connected with. Also, who would you most like to see in a spin-off story? Here are some of the choices:

MickBenBonesSarahStefaniHenry ElingsDean Lewis T.J.’s dadT.J.’s mom

I’m having a teeny-tiny bit of difficulty with the rafflecopter for yesterday’s giveaway. It’s chosen the winners but it won’t display them. I’m working on it and as soon as I figure it out, I’ll post the names. There are still 7 of you who need to e-mail me your full name and mailing address from Friday’s day 1 giveaway (so send me your info at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com).

After you leave a comment, make sure you also login to the rafflecopter using your Facebook login or your e-mail address so that you’ll be eligible to win today’s prize.

Congratulations to the winners of the day 1 giveaway! 13 signed copies of On the Island (original cover) will be mailed out this week. If you haven’t e-mailed your full name and mailing address to me at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com, please do so and I’ll get your package ready. Want to find out if you won? Check yesterday’s post and scroll down to the rafflecopter.

Okay, now for the second giveaway. Up for grabs today are 10 signed paperback copies with the beautiful Penguin cover. It’s the one that looks like this:

All you have to do is this: In the comments section, tell me what your favorite scene is from On the Island. Then, make sure you login to the rafflecopter. You must do both to be eligible to win. Once again, this giveaway is open to EVERYONE and if you entered on day 1, you can enter this one, too.

You all brought tears to my eyes yesterday with your wonderful comments. I have the best readers in the world. Thank you!!

****The giveaway for one of the 13 signed copies of On the Island has ended. Scroll down to the rafflecopter to see if you’ve won! If your name is listed, e-mail me your full name and mailing address at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com. I appreciate all of the wonderful comments; they made me cry!!

A year ago last weekend (September 3rd, 2011, to be exact), I self-published my debut novel, On the Island, with no idea what to expect.

It felt weird. Really weird. It also felt good. The availability of self-publishing programs meant I didn’t have to shove my novel in a drawer and hope that someone would take a chance on the next book I wrote.

Not much changed. I still went to my day job. My kids still fought (constantly). And my husband and I still tried to find time to have an uninterrupted conversation (and maybe a glass of wine).

A few months later, things started to change a little bit. Sales went up, although not dramatically. I received some reviews that were so heartfelt they literally brought tears to my eyes and made me smile for days. I received some awesome e-mails from readers who lived all over the world. It was incredibly satisfying and wonderful and I considered myself lucky.

In the spring, things really got crazy. April and May are one big blur…In June, Penguin publishing offered me a two-book deal and put On the Island on bookshelves everywhere.

A year ago, I just wanted to find an audience. I just wanted the book I spent 18 months writing to be available to those who might want to read it.

One year later:

Over half a million copies of On the Island have been sold. On the Island is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. Foreign rights have been sold in 23 countries. MGM has optioned the book for a feature film. On the Island spent over 10 weeks on the NYT bestseller list, reaching #5 in the e-book category and #12 for the trade paperback.

I no longer have a day job because writing full-time is my day job. I get to spend time with both kids every morning before sending them off to the bus stop. My work wardrobe consists of yoga pants and T-shirts. I spend my days in a quiet house with Chloe curled up next to me.

I don’t even know what to say that will convey my true feelings about this. Or how to thank all of you. Because you, the readers, are the ones who made it happen. I’m eternally grateful and I think it’s time for one big THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.

Here’s how it will work: I’m giving away 1 Kindle DX, 2 Nook Colors, and 23 signed paperbacks (13 with the original cover – because that’s how many I have stacked on my dining room table – and 10 with the Penguin cover).

This giveaway will span 4 days and I’ll be using the rafflecopter to choose the winners. And this giveaway is open to EVERYONE. I don’t care where you live. You’re eligible. You can enter every day of the giveaway, but you can only win once.

So let’s start with the signed original paperback. The one that looks like this: I have 13 to give away.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me how you heard about On the Island (make sure you also login to rafflecopter with either your facebook login or e-mail to enter the giveaway). I want to know what led you to this book. And I want you to know how much that has meant to me.

I took an informal poll and asked readers, via my author page on Facebook, for their input on who they’d most like to see playing T.J. in the film adaptation of On the Island. I’ve tallied the votes and thought it would be fun to share the results with you all.

The actor who received the most votes to play T.J. was Zac Efron. You guys really, really like Zac. I mean, like, a lot.

In second place was Alex Pettyfer (or as I like to call him, Alex Prettyfer, because OH MY GOD, look at him).

One person suggested Justin Bieber “just for laughs” and I have to agree. I’m sure he’s a lovely person and this is a really great picture of him, but, yeah. NO.

In third place we have Taylor Kitsch, my original choice for T.J. I’ve mentioned this in a few Q&A’s I’ve done recently, and it pains me to say it again, but I think he’s too old to play T.J. which is a crying shame because I really like looking at him.

Next up is someone I’ve never heard of: Steven R. McQueen. Perhaps it’s because I don’t watch The Vampire Diaries. Perhaps I should start.

﻿

﻿

Jeremy Sumpter, Steven Strait, and Aaron Johnson were a few of the other suggestions.

I have a suggestion to throw into the ring: Jamie Campbell Bower. I can’t remember how he came to my attention, but he’s adorable and hot – two qualities that an actor playing T.J. will need to have. Plus I think he’s just young enough to pull it off.

It was also suggested – and I wholeheartedly agree – that an unknown actor (paired with a well-known actress a’ la Christopher Atkins and Brooke Shields in The Blue Lagoon) might be the way to go.

And lastly, I’ve bumped Anne Hathaway out of the starring role of Anna, not because I don’t like her, because I really, really do, but because I think one of these two actresses might be a teensy bit better.

On the Island hit bookstores across the country on Tuesday! I didn’t realize just how awesome it would feel until I saw the trade paperback sitting on the shelf. This picture is from the Barnes & Noble at Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines. I sure do like their sign!

I went to Target next and there on the shelf, sandwiched between Elin Hilderbrand’s Summerland and Kristin Hannah’s Home Again, was my book.

My last bookstore was another Barnes & Noble. I almost didn’t stop, but it was on my way home so I thought, “Oh heck, why not.” While I was standing there taking a picture of the display with my phone, I overheard someone say “On the Island” so I totally started eavesdropping stood there, all nonchalant, and a woman and a B&N employee walked over. The customer was looking for On the Island. But she wanted to make sure it was the book written by the woman who lives in Des Moines. She questioned the B&N employee and the employee responded that she wasn’t sure but would find out. I couldn’t take it anymore because I was literally standing right there so I opened my big mouth contributed helpfully to the conversation. “Yes, that’s her,” I said. “I mean, I’m her. It’s me.” The customer looked shocked but then gave me a big smile despite my deranged grin. I explained that the book had just been released and that I wanted to stop in and see it on the shelf. She was buying a copy for herself and her daughter and I offered to sign them because I just happened to have a Sharpie in my purse. She was so nice and she made my afternoon. For the rest of the day I told that story to anyone who would listen.

And now, here are some of the wonderful people who helped celebrate my book birthday. Thank you all!